U.S. patent application number 13/549136 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-08 for machine translation feedback.
This patent application is currently assigned to Google Inc.. Invention is credited to Jeffrey CHIN, Daniel ROSART.
Application Number | 20120284013 13/549136 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39629077 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120284013 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHIN; Jeffrey ; et
al. |
November 8, 2012 |
MACHINE TRANSLATION FEEDBACK
Abstract
Methods, program products and systems for first receiving an
indication of when a user-manipulable cursor is positioned in
proximity to a first presentation of first text in a graphical user
interface (GUI), the first text being in a first language. In
response to the first receiving, causing a second presentation in
the GUI of second text in a distinct second language, where the
second text represents a translation of the first text into the
second language or the first text represents a translation of the
second text into the first language. Second user input to the GUI
is received providing an alternate translation of the first text to
the second text or the second text to the first text.
Inventors: |
CHIN; Jeffrey; (Medina,
WA) ; ROSART; Daniel; (Mountain View, CA) |
Assignee: |
Google Inc.
Mountain View
CA
|
Family ID: |
39629077 |
Appl. No.: |
13/549136 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13185425 |
Jul 18, 2011 |
8239186 |
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13549136 |
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11675034 |
Feb 14, 2007 |
7983897 |
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13185425 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
704/2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/58 20200101;
G06F 3/0481 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
704/2 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/28 20060101
G06F017/28 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving, at a
computing device having one or more processors, one or more words
in a first language to be translated to a second language;
obtaining, at the computing device, translated text based on the
one or more words, a translation model, and a language model, the
translated text being a translation of the one or more words from
the first language to the second language; providing, from the
computing device, a graphical user interface (GUI) for display at a
display device, the GUI including the one or more words in the
first language and the translated text; receiving, at the computing
device, user input indicating a specific alternate translation of
the one or more words; analyzing, at the computing device, the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM; when the user
input is not SPAM, providing, from the computing device, the user
input to a translation feedback system to update the language model
and the translation model based on the user input; and when the
user input is SPAM, discarding the user input.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing
the user input to determine whether the user input is SPAM
comprises determining whether the user input is duplicative of the
translated text, the user input being characterized as SPAM when
the user input is duplicative of the translated text.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing
the user input to determine whether the user input is SPAM
comprises determining whether the user input contains no text, the
user input being characterized as SPAM when the user input contains
no text.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing
the user input to determine whether the user input is SPAM
comprises determining whether the user input contains obscene
words, the user input being characterized as SPAM when the user
input contains obscene words.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing
the user input to determine whether the user input is SPAM
comprises determining whether a user providing the user input has
previously submitted more than a specific number of submissions
during a specific time period, the user input being characterized
as SPAM when the user has provided more than the specific number of
submissions during the specific time period.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing
the user input to determine whether the user input is SPAM
comprises determining whether the user input has a low probability
of occurrence in the second language based on the language model,
the user input being characterized as SPAM when the user input has
the low probability of occurrence in the second language.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing
the user input to determine whether the user input is SPAM
comprises determining whether the user input contains at least one
redundant word in the second language, the user input being
characterized as SPAM when the user input contains at least one
redundant word.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the GUI
further includes a list of possible alternate translations, the
user input comprises a selection of the specific alternate
translation from the list of possible alternate translations, and
the user input further indicates a ranking of the specific
alternate translation.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the GUI
includes an input field that receives the user input.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
correcting, at the computing device, a misspelling in the user
input to obtain the specific alternate translation.
11. A computing system, comprising: a non-transitory
computer-readable storage medium storing executable computer
program code; and at least one processor configured to execute the
executable computer program code to perform operations including:
receiving one or more words in a first language to be translated to
a second language, obtaining translated text based on the one or
more words, a translation model, and a language model, the
translated text being a translation of the one or more words from
the first language to the second language, providing a graphical
user interface (GUI) for display at a display device, the GUI
including the one or more words in the first language and the
translated text, receiving user input indicating a specific
alternate translation of the one or more words, analyzing the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM; when the user
input is not SPAM, providing the user input to a translation
feedback system to update the language model and the translation
model based on the user input, and when the user input is SPAM,
discarding the user input.
12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein analyzing the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM comprises
determining whether the user input is duplicative of the translated
text, the user input being characterized as SPAM when the user
input is duplicative of the translated text.
13. The computing system of claim 11, wherein analyzing the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM comprises
determining whether the user input contains no text, the user input
being characterized as SPAM when the user input contains no
text.
14. The computing system of claim 11, wherein analyzing the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM comprises
determining whether the user input contains obscene words, the user
input being characterized as SPAM when the user input contains
obscene words.
15. The computing system of claim 11, wherein analyzing the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM comprises
determining whether a user providing the user input has previously
submitted more than a specific number of submissions during a
specific time period, the user input being characterized as SPAM
when the user has provided more than the specific number of
submissions during the specific time period.
16. The computing system of claim 11, wherein analyzing the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM comprises
determining whether the user input has a low probability of
occurrence in the second language based on the language model, the
user input being characterized as SPAM when the user input has the
low probability of occurrence in the second language.
17. The computing system of claim 11, wherein analyzing the user
input to determine whether the user input is SPAM comprises
determining whether the user input contains at least one redundant
word in the second language, the user input being characterized as
SPAM when the user input contains at least one redundant word.
18. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the GUI further
includes a list of possible alternate translations, the user input
comprises a selection of the specific alternate translation from
the list of possible alternate translations, and the user input
further indicates a ranking of the specific alternate
translation.
19. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the operations
further include correcting a misspelling in the user input to
obtain the specific alternate translation.
20. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving, at a
computing device having one or more processors, one or more words
in a first language to be translated to a second language;
obtaining, at the computing device, a set of possible translations
of the one or more words based on a translation model and a
language model, the set of possible translations including at least
one translation of the one or more words from the first language to
the second language; providing, from the computing device, a
graphical user interface (GUI) for display at a display device, the
GUI including the one or more words in the first language and the
set of possible translations of the one or more words; receiving,
at the computing device, user input including a selection of a
specific alternate translation from the set of possible alternate
translations and a ranking of the specific alternate translation
analyzing, at the computing device, the user input to determine
whether the user input is SPAM; when the user input is not SPAM,
providing, from the computing device, the user input to a
translation feedback system to update the language model and the
translation model based on the user input; and when the user input
is SPAM, discarding the user input.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/185,425 filed on Jul. 18, 2011, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/675,034 filed
on Feb. 14, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,983,897. The entire
disclosures of each of the above applications are incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Translation from one human language (a source language) to
another human language (a target language) can be done in various
ways. Machine translation uses computers to automate part of or the
entire translation process. Many websites on the Internet provide
machine translation to allow for easy access to information in
different languages. Rule-based machine translation and statistical
machine translation are two examples of machine translation systems
(MTS's). Such websites usually do not provide a means for users to
easily provide feedback on the translation quality, however. If
users find a translation to be incorrect or culturally offensive,
for example, typically their only resort is to send an email
message to the website operator who may or may not route the
message to the appropriate person. In addition, the message might
omit the source language version of the text, the translation at
issue, or a corrected version of the translation. This makes it
exceedingly difficult to analyze translation errors and improve the
quality of machine translation based on user feedback.
SUMMARY
[0003] In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in
this specification can be embodied in a method that includes a
method for first receiving an indication of when a user-manipulable
cursor is positioned in proximity to a first presentation of first
text in a graphical user interface (GUI), the first text being in a
first language. In response to the first receiving, causing a
second presentation in the GUI of second text in a distinct second
language, where the second text represents a translation of the
first text into the second language or the first text represents a
translation of the second text into the first language. Second user
input to the GUI is received providing an alternate translation of
the first text to the second text or the second text to the first
text. Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding
systems, apparatus, and computer program products.
[0004] These and other implementations can optionally include one
or more of the following features. If the alternate translation is
determined to be SPAM and it is discarded, where determining
includes deciding if the alternate translation is one or more of:
empty, the same as the first text or the second text, has a low
probability of occurrence in the first language or the second
language, contains an obscene word, or was submitted by a user who
is suspect. The first text, the second text, and the alternate
translation are automatically provided to a human reviewer. The
first text, the second text, and the alternate translation are
automatically provided to a community review process. The first
text is identified by examining text represented in the first
presentation that is in proximity to the cursor. The first text
represents a subset of the text in the first presentation. The
first text is a sentence. The second presentation overlays the
first presentation in the GUI. A third presentation is displayed in
the GUI which includes one or more previously provided alternate
translations.
[0005] In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in
this specification can be embodied in a method that includes
receiving an indication of when a user-manipulable cursor is
positioned in proximity to a first presentation of first text in a
graphical user interface (GUI), the first text being in a first
language. In response to the receiving, causing a second
presentation in the GUI of second text in a distinct second
language, where the second text represents a translation of the
first text into the second language or the first text represents a
translation of the second text into the first language. User input
to the GUI is received providing feedback pertaining to the
translation of the first text to the second text or the second text
to the first text, where the feedback is one of: a rating,
selection of an alternate translation, or an indication of whether
the translation is inappropriate. Other implementations of this
aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer
program products.
[0006] These and other implementations can optionally include one
or more of the following features: determining if the alternate
translation is one or more of: empty, the same as the first text or
the second text, has a low probability of occurrence in the first
language or the second language, contains an obscene word, or was
submitted by a user who is suspect.
[0007] Particular implementations of the subject matter described
in this specification can be implemented to realize one or more of
the following advantages. Text is automatically selected based on
the location of a cursor. A translation feedback window for the
selected text is automatically displayed. Users can easily compare
a translated portion of selected text with corresponding text in a
source language and submit an alternate (better) translation if
necessary. Along with the user provided alternate translation, the
source text and the original translation are automatically included
with the user feedback. Addition information can also be
automatically included with the feedback to further aid analysis of
the machine translation error. User provided alternate translations
are automatically analyzed to determine if they are SPAM and, if
so, they are discarded. User feedback is automatically routed to
the appropriate parties for individual or community review. Even
monolingual speakers can submit alternate translations if the
surrounding context of the translation makes it clear that there is
an error. User translation feedback is enabled for an entire
translated document or merely a fragment of translated text. User
feedback collection is not disruptive to the user's reading
experience. The technique for obtaining feedback can be implemented
with the languages reversed.
[0008] The details of one or more implementations of the invention
are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description
below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention
will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1A is an illustration of a webpage that has been
translated from Russian to English.
[0010] FIG. 1B is an illustration of a translation feedback
window.
[0011] FIG. 1C is an illustration of a user-provided alternate
translation.
[0012] FIG. 2A is an illustration of another translation feedback
window.
[0013] FIG. 2B is an illustration of a ratings feedback window.
[0014] FIG. 2C is an illustration of a translation selection
window.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system for obtaining user
translation feedback.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a system for routing user
translation feedback.
[0017] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart for obtaining user translation
feedback.
[0018] Like reference numbers and designations in the various
drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] FIG. 1A illustrates a rendering or "presentation" of an
electronic document 100 in a graphical user interface (GUI).
Generally speaking, an electronic document or "document" contains
text in at least one human language. A document can be a hypertext
markup language document (HTML), an eXtensible Markup Language
(XML) document, or a word processing document, for example. Some
documents contain content in addition to text such as images and
other data, including embedded content. Moreover, a document does
not necessarily correspond to a file. A document may be stored in a
portion of a file that holds other documents, in a single file
dedicated to the document in question, or in multiple coordinated
files. Documents can be stored in memory without having first been
stored in a file.
[0020] A GUI is capable of presenting a document's text on a
display device such as a computer monitor or other display. Web
browsers such as Mozilla Firefox which are capable of presenting
documents on display devices utilize GUI libraries integrated into
host operating systems (e.g., Microsoft Windows, available from
Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. and Mac OS X, available
from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.). GUIs typically include
functionality to allow users to interactively manipulate document
presentations. GUIs are provided on most consumer computer devices
such as personal computers, mobile phones, personal digital
assistances, digital media players, electronic gaming devices, and
electronic book readers. The techniques for obtaining user
translation feedback described herein are applicable to all such
devices. Moreover, these techniques can be used in combination with
a wide variety of software applications including, but not limited
to, web browsers, word processors, document reading software, and
other applications which display text.
[0021] Users interact with the presentation of a document (e.g.,
100) in a GUI by using an input device such as a mouse or other
suitable device. The input device has a visual representation
(e.g., 102) or "cursor" on the display device that allows users to
select text in the presentation. Users can position the cursor 102
over a section of the presentation 100. Text 110 that is in
proximity to the mouse cursor 102 is automatically selected, as
shown in FIG. 1B. In various implementations, the selected text can
is automatically highlighted in the presentation 100. In some
implementations, text deemed to be within the proximity of the
cursor 102 is the sentence that is beneath the cursor's 102
hotspot. In other implementations, the selected text is the
paragraph beneath the cursor's 102 hotspot. In yet further
implementations, the selected text is text within a predetermined
or dynamically determined region surrounding the cursor's 102
hotspot and is delimited on word, sentence or paragraph
boundaries.
[0022] A document contains source text in a source language. A
document's source text can be automatically translated by a MTS to
a target language. For example, the document presentation 100 is an
English language translation of a Russian language news web page.
In various implementations, such a translation is accomplished by
using a MTS such as Google Translate, available from Google Inc.,
of Mountain View, Calif. However, other MTSs can be used. Google
Translate can translate an arbitrary amount of text, including an
entire webpage, from a source language (e.g., Chinese, Japanese,
Korean and Vietnamese) to a target language (e.g., English, French,
Russian). By way of illustration, users can enter the uniform
resource locator (URL) of the webpage they wish translated into a
text field on the Google Translate webpage and then select the
source and target languages. Google Translate uses a MTS to
translate the visible text in the webpage from the source language
to the target language. The user's browser is then redirected to a
translated version of the webpage.
[0023] A translation feedback window 106 is automatically presented
in the GUI when users position the cursor 102 over the text (e.g.,
110) of a document. The feedback window 106 is displayed over the
document presentation 100 and near the cursor 102, for instance, or
the feedback window 106 can be incorporated into another portion of
the GUI such that the document presentation 100 is not obscured. If
the presentation 100 is of translated text (in a target language),
the feedback window 202 displays the corresponding source text (in
a source language) in feedback window region 104. Alternatively, if
the presentation 100 is of a document's source text, the feedback
window region 104 displays a translation of the selected text 110
into a target language. In a further alternative, instead of
displaying a feedback window 106, the text that would be displayed
in region 104 instead replaces the selected text 110 in the
presentation 100 if the cursor 102 hovers on the selected text 110
for a predetermined time period. The selected text 110 is
automatically changed back when the cursor is moved away from the
selected text 110.
[0024] Users may find that a given translation as shown in the
presentation 100 or in the feedback window 106 is incorrect. The
feedback window 106 enables users to provide suggestions for
alternate translations. By selecting the "Suggest a better
translation" link 108, a text entry region 112 is opened in the
feedback window 106 (as shown in FIG. 1C) into which the user can
enter an alternate translation. In some implementations, the text
entry region 112 is pre-populated with text that the user can edit.
If the presentation 100 is of translated text, the text entry
region 112 is pre-populated with the selected text 110. Otherwise,
the text entry region 112 is pre-populated with the selected text
110 translated into a target language. Users can edit the text or
replace it entirely. Users select the "contribute" button 114 to
submit their alternate translation to a translation feedback
system, which is described below. In addition to the alternate
translation, the feedback automatically includes the source text in
the source language and the translation of the source text to the
target language.
[0025] FIG. 2A is an illustration of another feedback window 200
through which users can provide other types feedback. As before, if
the presentation 100 is of translated text, the region 104 displays
the corresponding source text. Alternatively, if the presentation
100 is of a document's source text, the region 104 displays a
translation of the selected text 110 into a target language. Users
are given the opportunity to rate the quality, correctness or
usefulness of the translation using, for instance, a star rating
202 or other scoring mechanism. For example, a translation which
receives five stars is considered excellent whereas a translation
which receives one star is considered unacceptable. Alternatively,
or in addition to a rating, users can submit written comments on
the translation quality. A GUI button 208 (or other GUI element)
allows users to view ratings from other users, including their
comments, as shown in window region 212 in FIG. 2B. In further
implementations, users can also flag a translation as being
culturally inappropriate using a simple GUI checkbox 204 (FIG. 2A)
or other GUI element.
[0026] With reference to FIG. 2C, the feedback window 200 allows
users to review alternate translations considered by a MTS for the
selected text 110, alternate translations submitted by other users
(e.g., as shown in FIG. 1C), or combinations of these, and pick one
which they believe is better than the current translation. Users
select the "Select Alternate Translation" button 206 (or other GUI
element) which causes the list of alternate translations 210 to be
displayed, as shown in FIG. 2C. Users can choose a better
translation by selecting a checkbox (e.g., 214) or other GUI
element. If the MTS is a statistical system, the list 210 can
include top translation possibilities that scored below the current
translation.
[0027] The additional feedback described in reference to FIGS. 2A,
2B and 2C is automatically provided to the translation feedback
system and includes the source text in the source language and the
translation of the source text in the target language. In addition,
the feedback can include other information relating to the state of
the MTS when the translation was performed such as, for instance,
alternate translations the MTS considered but did not elect for the
selected text 110. All of this information can be used to improve
the quality of the MTS.
[0028] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system for obtaining user
feedback of a machine translation. A client 304 (e.g., a web
browser or other application) and a server 306 each include
components that may reside on the same or on different computing
devices connected by one or more networks (e.g., the Internet) such
as personal computers, mobile phones, workstations, servers, and
other suitable devices. Moreover, there may be fewer or more
components than illustrated. In various implementations, users
submit a document or a reference to a document (e.g., a URL for a
web page) 322 to a MTS 326 through a web portal (e.g., Google
Translate) served by a web server 324. The web server 324 fetches
the document 322 and provides it to the MTS 326. The MTS 326
translates the document's text in a source language to a target
language on behalf of the web server 324.
[0029] By way of illustration, the MTS 326 can be rules-based or
statistical. In the case of a statistical MTS, translation is
learned from previously translated texts. A language model 320
provides probabilities of words and word combinations occurring in
a target language to the MTS 326. A translation model 318 provides
probabilities that a given word or combination of words in a source
language are translated into one or more words in a target
language. The MTS 326 translates text by looking at adjacent
sequences of one or more words in a source text to find the most
probably translation of the text in the translation model 318. The
language model 320 is used to ensure fluency by demoting possible
translations that have words or word combinations with a low
probability of occurrence in the target language.
[0030] The web server 324 provides the translated web page 330 to
the client 304. In some implementations, the translated web page
330 includes the original source text in the source language which
is not visible when the web page is rendered by the client 304
(e.g., the original source text is marked as hidden).
Alternatively, the web server 324 provides the web page 330 to the
client 304 such that the original source text is visible and the
translated text will not be visible when the web page is rendered
by the client 305. The client processes the web page 330 by
populating a Document Object Model (DOM) 316 with a representation
of the web page 330. A DOM is a representation of a structured
document such as an HTML document. The DOM is used by the rendering
engine 315 to present the document on a display device 302.
[0031] In addition to the web page 330, or as part of it, the web
server 324 provides a text selection component 308, an
initialization component 310, and a feedback window component 312.
Alternatively, these components are already resident in the client
304. The components 308, 310 and 312 are comprised of JavaScript
code (or code in another programming language) that is executed by
the client 304 as part of presenting the web page 330 on the
display device 302. The initialization component 310 sets up event
handlers and timers for the text selection component 308 and the
feedback window component 312, respectively. The text selection
component 308 is invoked when the cursor (e.g., 102) is moved over
text which has been translated and automatically selects (and
highlights) the text in proximity to the cursor (e.g., 110) by
changing the selected text's properties in the DOM 316.
[0032] If the cursor remains over the selected text for a
predetermined period of time, the feedback window component 312
causes the presentation of a feedback window (e.g., 106 or 200) in
proximity to the cursor. The feedback window component
pre-populates the window with original source text or translated
text corresponding to the selected text. This text can be obtained
from the DOM 316 (e.g., the hidden text) or can be obtained by
making a request to the web server 324. If the user submits
feedback through the feedback window, the feedback window component
312 transmits the information to a translation feedback system 302
which will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The feedback
information includes the source text, the translated text, and
optionally other information such as the state of the MTS when the
translation of the selected text occurred. MTS state information
can be encoded in the web page 330 as hidden information or
obtained by making a request to the web server 324.
[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the translation feedback
system 302. When user feedback is received by the system 302, the
feedback is initially stored in a translation store 402.
Unsolicited, incomplete, irrelevant, or inappropriate user feedback
(so-called "SPAM") is filtered out of the system 302 by a filter
component 404. The filter component 404 characterizes user-provided
alternate translations as SPAM if one or more of the following
conditions are true: [0034] The alternate translation is empty or
unchanged from the original translation; [0035] The alternate
translation contains obscene language; [0036] The same user is
suspect: the user has submitted more than a given number of
alternate translation within a given time period or the user has a
history of submitting SPAM; [0037] According to the MTS, the
alternate translation has a low probability of occurrence in the
target language; or [0038] The alternate translation contains
redundant words.
[0039] Other filters are possible, including a filter that
automatically corrects misspellings in the alternate translation.
Alternate translations that are not filtered out as are
automatically routed to a trusted individual 404 to evaluate the
alternate translation or to a community review process 406 which
allows individuals to vote on whether they approve of the alternate
translation. Since the alternate translation is accompanied by the
original source text and the translated text, the person(s)
reviewing the feedback have complete information in which to make a
judgment. In various implementations, if the alternate translation
is approved the alternate translation can be added to a translation
cache for the MTS 326 such that the alternate translation is
henceforth used instead of the original translation. Alternatively,
the alternate translation can be used to further train the MTS 326
by incorporating the alternate translation into the language model
320 and the translation model 318.
[0040] FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 illustrating a method for
obtaining an alternate translation from a user. An indication of
when a user-manipulable cursor (e.g., cursor 102) is positioned in
proximity to a first presentation of first text (e.g., 100) in a
GUI is received, the first text being in a first language (step
502). A second presentation (e.g., feedback window 106) in the GUI
of second text in a distinct second language is displayed (step
504). The second text represents a translation of the first text
into the second language or the first text represents a translation
of the second text into the first language. Finally, user input to
the GUI is received providing an alternate translation of the first
text to the second text or the second text to the first text (step
506).
[0041] Implementations of the subject matter and the functional
operations described in this specification can be implemented in
digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or
hardware, including the structures disclosed in this specification
and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more
of them. Implementations of the subject matter described in this
specification can be implemented as one or more computer program
products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program
instructions encoded on a computer readable medium for execution
by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus. The
computer readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device,
a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a
composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated
signal, or a combination of one or more of them.
[0042] The term "data processing apparatus" encompasses all
apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by
way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple
processors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition to
hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the
computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor
firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an
operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. A
propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a
machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal,
that is generated to encode information for transmission to
suitable receiver apparatus.
[0043] A computer program (also known as a program, software,
software application, script, or code) can be written in any form
of programming language, including compiled or interpreted
languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a stand
alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit
suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program
does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A
program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other
programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup
language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in
question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store
one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer
program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on
multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed
across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication
network.
[0044] The processes and logic flows described in this
specification can be performed by one or more programmable
processors executing one or more computer programs to perform
functions by operating on input data and generating output. The
processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus
can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g.,
an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application
specific integrated circuit).
[0045] Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program
include, by way of example, both general and special purpose
microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of
digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions
and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both.
The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing
instructions and one or more memory devices for storing
instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or
be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or
both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,
magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a
computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be
embedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal
digital assistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global
Positioning System (GPS) receiver, to name just a few. Computer
readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions
and data include all forms of non volatile memory, media and memory
devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices,
e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks,
e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical
disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory
can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic
circuitry.
[0046] To provide for interaction with a user, implementations of
the subject matter described in this specification can be
implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT
(cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for
displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing
device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide
input to the computer. Other kinds of devices can be used to
provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback
provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g.,
visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input
from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic,
speech, or tactile input.
[0047] Implementations of the subject matter described in this
specification can be implemented in a computing system that
includes a back end component, e.g., as a data server, or that
includes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or
that includes a front end component, e.g., a client computer having
a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user
can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described
is this specification, or any combination of one or more such back
end, middleware, or front end components. The components of the
system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data
communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples of
communication networks include a local area network ("LAN") and a
wide area network ("WAN"), e.g., the Internet.
[0048] The computing system can include clients and servers. A
client and server are generally remote from each other and
typically interact through a communication network. The
relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer
programs running on the respective computers and having a
client-server relationship to each other.
[0049] While this specification contains many specifics, these
should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the
invention or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of
features specific to particular implementations of the invention.
Certain features that are described in this specification in the
context of separate implementations can also be implemented in
combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various
features that are described in the context of a single
implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations
separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although
features may be described above as acting in certain combinations
and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a
claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the
combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a
subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
[0050] Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in
a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that
such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in
sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,
to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances,
multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover,
the separation of various system components in the implementations
described above should not be understood as requiring such
separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that
the described program components and systems can generally be
integrated together in a single software product or packaged into
multiple software products.
[0051] Thus, particular implementations of the invention have been
described. Other implementations are within the scope of the
following claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims
can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable
results.
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